"A Message Of Offense: Jesus Said, "I Am”

In Jesus Holy Name Pentecost 14 August 8, 2021

Text: John 6:28-29;35-51

“A Message of Offense: Jesus said, “I Am”

Last Sunday our Gospel reading was from John chapter 6. Today our Gospel reading is from John Chapter 6. Our Gospel lesson next week is from John chapter 6. In staff this week I said “How can I preach on the same theme, “Jesus is the Bread of life” three weeks in a row? I can’t do it. There is nothing new that I can say.”

Then I realized: “That’s right. There is nothing new…The entire chapter of John chapter is about Jesus who meets our most basic spiritual needs.1) harmony and peace with our Creator 2) security regarding our eternal address beyond our limited time on earth.

Professor and author Leonard Sweet in his book: “The Bad Habits of Jesus” writes: “From healing on the Sabbath, to eating with unwashed hands and touching unclean people, to declaring Himself God,” these were acts of heresy to the Jewish religious scholars. Every time Jesus used the phrase “I Am”, in the eyes of the Pharisees, Jesus was sinning against the God of the Sabbath.”

Every Jewish listener knew that the name for God given to Moses is the name: “Yahweh”, “I Am I Am” this is the name of the God of Creation; “I Am” is the God who delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt; “I Am” is the God who appeared to Moses in the burning bush. Whenever Jesus used the phrase: “I Am the Bread of Life”: I Am the light of the world”; I Am the Good Shepherd” His message was clear. “I Am the God of the Burning Bush”.

In John chapter 10 we are told that Jesus came to the temple in the winter for the “Feast of Dedication”, We know it as Hanukkah. (Read John 10:22-33)

The Pharisees rejected the miracles of Jesus, He was healing on the Sabbath. Healing was considered work, which an honorable, deeply religious Jew would never do. He was a rabbi. He should know better, so they rejected His claim to Deity. Even the resurrection of Lazarus from 4 days dead was not enough to prove that “Yahweh”, the great “I Am” was in their presence. By Spring of the coming year, Jesus was arrested, crucified on a Roman cross and buried. The Pharisees thought that would be the end of the Jesus story. As you well know it was not the end.

In last week’s Gospel lesson after Jesus fed the 5000 He said: “I am the bread of life.” (John 6:35, 41, 48, 51) For the Religious leaders of Israel Jesus was committing heresy. In the theological mind of the Pharisee, the words, “Bread of life” was another way of referring to the words of God in the Old Testament. In the Jewish mind, if your soul was empty, if you were seeking peace with God, then the answer to the spiritual hunger of your soul would be found in the written words of their scriptures. The 1st Testament was considered to be the Manna from heaven, the bread of life. When Jesus said “I am the true Manna from Heaven” He meant: “I am the God of the burning bush standing in your presence.

Jesus said to the Pharisees: “you search the scriptures to find eternal life, they point to me.” I am the manna that has come down from heaven. “ I am the bread of life… he who believes in me has eternal life. His resurrection from death and the grave after His crucifixion secures our eternal address by faith in Him.

When Jesus said: “I am the good shepherd” He was telling the Pharisees to remember the words of Ezekiel 34.

“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! (v 2) “I myself will search for my sheep and look after them”. “I will search for the lost and bring back the strays….” Do you remember the famous parable of the shepherd who leaves the 99 to seek for the one lost lamb”. (Luke 15) The Sovereign Lord says: “I will search for the lost and bring back the strays I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak… I will judge between one sheep an another and separate the sheep” (v17) from the goats.

When Jesus said: “I am the door of the sheep.” (John 10:7,9) He is repeating the promise that “he who believes in me will have everlasting life…for I am the Bread of life.” Yes, Jesus is the answer to our most basic spiritual question, forgiveness before our righteous God and faith in Jesus secures your eternal address in heaven.

Every building has an entrance somewhere. The Kingdom of God also has an entrance. It is Jesus Christ. Jesus said: God has only one door to His Kingdom. “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6) No one comes to eternal life except by faith in Jesus. That is why Peter, on trial before the same Pharisees who crucified Jesus said: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)